|
I, Xena
by A. Aaronson
(email the author)
|
Disclaimers
Xena, Gabrielle and Argo are (c) copyright MCA/Universal and
Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the
writing of this fiction. All other characters that appear belong to
A. Aaronson. The code for the screenplay format of this story was done by Bardeyes of the Athenaeum.
This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any
way. Copies may be made for private use only and must include all
copyright notices and disclaimers.
This story includes some violence, though it is not graphically
described. Readers who are sensitive to such things may wish to read
another story. |
|
Notes
This story is written in standard screenplay format, the sort
that is used by the writers of television. If you want to find out
more about television writing then I suggest JM Straczynski's (of B5
fame) book Screenwiting which is extremely helpful and downright
hilarious.
***WARNING*** To all Gabrielle fans
out there, this story was written after seeing series one episodes,
she really was like this back then.
My thanks go to my friend and beta-reader, McCabe, I'll return
the favour sometime. Also to BLMiller, just for giving me a great
first taste of Xena fanfic. |
XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS
"I, Xena
by A. Aaronson
TEASER
| A small area not used for some time, there is
one door which is hanging off its hinges and no furniture except for
a few small piles of hay. GABRIELLE enters the room and yawns
hugely, she is very tired, but nevertheless surveys the room with
disappointment. |
| Is this the best we can do? We must have passed
through at least five villages today. |
| XENA enters carrying her pommel. She pushes
past her and dumps it in the corner. |
| They were all deserted, at least this has a
roof on it. |
| You're the one who wanted to stop
remember. |
| Right, just point me to the
bed. |
| Xena glances over at the hay piled up in one of
the corners, Gabrielle follows her gaze and
sighs. |
| I'll find something to
eat. |
| Xena exits, Gabrielle shrugs her shoulders and
pads over to the hay and collapses down over it. She curls herself
up and quickly falls asleep. |
| CLOSE UP of a small spider slowly crawling down
Gabrielle's spine. |
| CLOSE UP of Gabrielle's face. She is slightly
disturbed by the spider's motion but she remains
asleep. |
| BACK TO spider entering the back of her
shirt. |
| BACK TO Gabrielle, who murmurs even more and
gradually wakes up. She suddenly snaps awake and becomes aware of
something tap dancing on her vertebrae. She screams and shoots up in
the air and starts shaking her shirt to try and get rid of it. She
dislodges the spider which falls to the ground and takes cover.
Gabrielle spots it scuttling away and tries to stamp on it, with no
success. Xena bursts in, ready for anything. |
| I hate this place! I hate travelling all day! I
hate sleeping on straw! I hate having to eat out of nature's lucky
dip and I especially hate bugs! |
| Gabrielle picks up her staff and starts driving
it into the hay which the spider crawled under. It is flushed out
and makes a break for the other corner, Gabrielle stabs at it but
misses. |
| Don't worry, Gabrielle, it's not poisonous.
There are probably quite a few round here, I saw a nest of them
outside. |
| (grabs the pommel and walks out of the
door) |
| I thought you were
tired. |
| Gabrielle storms out of the room. Xena glances
to where the spider ran and crouches down. Her hand shoots out and
catches the spider which she brings up to eye level. As it crawls
around on her hand a mischievous grin spreads on Xena's
face. |
| Xena takes one last look at the spider and then
blows it off her hand. |
| EXT. ROAD CUTTING THROUGH THE WOODS -
DAY |
| Xena and Gabrielle are on horseback, Gabrielle
gently dozing against Xena's back. Xena hears ahead of them shouts
and the crash of metal on metal, the sound of combat. She elbows
Gabrielle awake who comes round gradually and then very quickly when
Xena spurs her horse to a gallop. Up ahead she sees a wagon under
attack by what appear to be bandits. Several guards' bodies are
strewn around, the reins of the horses have been cut and the horses
are no where to be seen. The bandits are concentrating all their
attention on their last opponent standing, GAIUS. He is a young tall
man wearing fine clothes and handling his sword with great skill,
but he is already wounded and cannot fight off the four bandits
attacking him. Xena charges in but just as she reaches the combat
Gaius goes down. She scatters the bandits just before they can
deliver the death-blow and she dispatches them, but with some
difficulty. Xena manages to capture one and, as Gabrielle rushes
over to take care of Gaius, she interrogates him. She pinches his
carotid artery and then backs off him. |
| I've just shut off the blood supply to your
brain, so you don't have long to tell me what you're
doing. |
| The bandit pulls himself up onto his hands and
knees and looks at Xena |
| he then sees Gaius alive and recovering behind
her. |
| The bandit pulls a concealed dagger, Xena
instantly pulls back into a defensive posture. The bandit shoots
forward away from Xena towards Gaius, no sound issuing from his
lips. His dagger raised high, Gabrielle swings her staff up to block
his arm and protect Gaius. The two clash and the bandit is brought
to a standstill. His momentum lost, he crumples to the floor at
Gaius feet. Xena rushes over and releases the pinch, but it is too
late. |
| Gods... how did he do
that? |
| These men weren't ordinary bandits, they were
too well trained and equipped and … |
| (she glances down at the body of the
bandit) |
| You are correct, they are members of the Royal
Guard of Cathage. |
| (struggling to get up, aided by
Gabrielle) |
| My name is Gaius, I am a royal prince of the
House of Carthage and those men were sent by my
brother. |
END TEASER
ACT ONE
| EXT. AMBUSHED WAGON -
DAY |
| As before, Gaius is leaning against the wagon,
his wound is not serious and is being dressed by
Gabrielle. |
| Carthage is a powerful kingdom, it was
prosperous under my father, Octavius, but he is dying, slowly, bit
by bit every day and Carthage is dying with
him. |
| Octavius favours me over Hellenicus to succeed
to the crown. But Hellenicus has much support in the highest circles
to oppose me. |
| But why are these villages deserted? Why are
people leaving their homes over a power struggle at
court? |
| The court has become completely self-centred,
divided between the warring factions. Without united leadership the
rest of the country is wasting away because of his ambition. This
was not his first attempt to remove me from the
succession. |
| (a flicker of recognition crosses his face but
it disappears) |
| Xena. I fear if you had not chanced upon me,
this time he would have succeeded. |
| If your life is in such danger why were you
going with such a small guard? |
| I was conducting an inspection of our border
fortifications. The neighbouring kingdoms have taken advantage of
our internal struggle to increase their border attacks. But I
received word that my father's health had taken a sudden turn for
the worse. I have to reach the palace as quickly as possible. There
wasn't time to gather a proper guard. |
| Gabrielle finishes off tending to the
wound. |
| Thank you, Gabrielle. I doubt the royal doctors
could have done any better, you have a healer's
touch. |
| The palace is just a half dozen miles ahead, I
had planned to reach it before nightfall, but I do not favour my
chances of surviving even such a short journey without
escort. |
| EXT. PALACE - COURTYARD -
DAY |
| The gates are open, Xena and Gabrielle are
entering, leading their horse which has the wounded Gaius on it. A
crowd of people rush around him, Xena and Gabrielle are ignored and
buffeted around as the well wishers help Gaius off the horse, he
evidently loves the attention he is receiving. HELLENICUS, a young
man, barely in his twenties, appears off to the side and when he
sees Gaius alive and well he storms off, Gaius, who had seen him,
just laughs. He then goes up to LIVIA, his mother, who had been
standing apart from the rest of the crowd. He presents himself to
her and a thin smile appears on her face, she holds out her hand
imperiously and Gaius gently takes hold of it and lowers his head to
kiss it, a look of disgust flashing across his face just before
contact is made. When he looks up again, however, he is all smiles
and is carried off inside by the crowd. Xena, Gabrielle and the
horse are left deserted in the middle of the courtyard left
wondering what to do. A man, AGRIPPA sort of the major-domo,
materialises behind them. |
| My name is Agrippa. I will show you to a room
where you can rest and refresh yourselves. The prince invites you to
a banquet this evening. May I confirm that you will
attend? |
| (put off a little by his cold
attitude) |
| Agrippa beckons over a servant who leads the
horse away. |
| (walking off towards the main
building) |
| Xena and Gabrielle, after exchanging looks, do
so. |
| An opulently furnished room, which includes
most notably a window, a big comfy bed, a small table with a jug of
water on it and a chest in the corner. The door opens and Agrippa
leads Xena and Gabrielle in. Gabrielle's eyes almost pop out when
they see the luxury of the surroundings. Xena briefly looks around
the room and then her eyes return to
Agrippa. |
| We are rather busy at the moment. This is the
best we have available. |
| (sitting on the bed bouncing up and down, a big
smile on her face) |
| Excellent, if there is anything else you
require merely ask, when the banquet is ready you will be
summoned. |
| (He looks Xena up and
down) |
| There is suitable clothing in the
chest. |
| Gabrielle rushes over to the chest and pulls
out the first dress she sees, it's
beautiful. |
| Xena glances over at Gabrielle and nods at the
dress, when she turns back Agrippa has
disappeared. |
| Some time later, Xena is staring out of the
window at the sky. Gabrielle comes into view behind her wearing one
of the fancy dresses, twirling the hem. |
| What do you think of this
one? |
| (bored, without looking
round) |
| It's perfect, you look
great. |
| Gabrielle harumphs and stops twirling and goes
and sits down on the bed. |
| Well I like it. Might need a little padding,
here and there. |
| Come on, what's the matter with
you. |
| Gabrielle arches an eyebrow
sceptically. |
| Don't do that. I do
that. |
| It's nothing, I just want to get moving
on. |
| What is it? Are you missing the road
already? |
| We've haven't stopped in weeks, Xena, not
anywhere comfortable. The whole point of coming here with Gaius was
to try and put right... |
| There is a knock at the
door. |
| Gaius enters, he has changed into an
exquisitely tailored outfit, he sees Gabrielle in her dress and his
face lights up, then he sees Xena still in her travelling clothes
and his face falls. |
| The banquet is ready, you should be
changed. |
| This is a formal occasion, you can't wear
something like that. |
| Gaius realises who he is talking to and clamps
down on his anger. He tries to chuckle to hide his
discomfiture. |
| You must excuse me. Of course you may wear
whatever you wish. It's time to go. |
| INT. PALACE - THE GREAT
HALL |
| There are long tables set out with courtiers
crowded around them, sitting on benches. Entertainers are performing
in a central space and waiters are moving between the tables with
plates of food. At one end of the hall is a platform and a single
table is set out where sits the royal family, Hellenicus (who is
wearing a pseudo-military uniform), Livia, Gaius, CLODIUS wearing a
napkin tucked in his collar and OCTAVIUS in the centre seat, he is
in his 50s but looks extremely ill. Xena and Gabrielle are sitting
on one of the lower tables, Gabrielle is happily taking pieces from
each of the dishes on the table, Xena eats little more and drinks
nothing, interested in the people on the top table. Gaius gets up
and walks over to their table carrying a jug of wine and a goblet.
When he reaches Xena he dismisses the person sitting next to her
with a gesture and takes his place. |
| For such a small person she eats well. Are you
not hungry yourself? |
| Food has been scarce this last week. I know
better than to gorge after fasting. |
| Well at least have something to drink.
Here. |
| I don't blame you for not bothering with the
slop we give the others but I assure you that this is comparable to
the nectar of the gods. If I may? |
| Gaius pours the wine from the jug into both his
and Xena's goblets, he goes to drink it but notices that her
attention is still fixed on top table. He lowers his goblet and
indicates Hellenicus. |
| The man at the end is my younger half brother
Hellenicus. |
| A plate of delicacies is put in front of
Hellenicus, he takes one look at it and pushes it away, instead he
satisfies himself with a plain loaf of bread. We see Clodius who was
sitting next to him stand up and start to walk over to Xena's table,
he walks almost doubled over with a limp and a
stick. |
| It seems the food doesn't agree with
him. |
| Yes, I am the natural son of
Livia, |
| (indicating Livia who is eating delicately and
looks disapprovingly at Hellenicus' actions) |
| and her previous husband. When she married the
King, the prince as he was, Octavius |
| (indicating Octavius who appears cut off from
the outside world, staring straight ahead and not touching any
food) |
| adopted me into the royal house, that was
before Hellenicus was born. |
| Three other sons from the King's previous
marriage, but tragically two of them died from childhood
illnesses. |
| Clodius is making erratic progress, he bumps
into several waiters almost knocking them over before tripping over
himself, he finally makes it over to the table and hovers
expectantly behind Gaius waiting to be
introduced. |
| (annoyed with the
interruption) |
| Xena, my brother in law,
Clodius. |
| Yes, yes, your name's Drusus
really. |
| (raising his voice as if Clodius is
deaf) |
| It's just a term of affection, Clodius. What do
you want? |
| Indeed Clodius does, the piece of expectorate
accidentally sails from his lips straight into Gaius'
eye. |
| Just wanted to thank the g-great
w-w-w… |
| (wiping the phlegm from his eye,
infuriated) |
| There is a look of distaste on Xena's face as
she looks at Clodius. |
| For your safe return,
Gaius. |
| Thank you, I'm sure she appreciates your
sentiments. |
| Gaius picks up his goblet and Xena does the
same. A look of concern crosses Clodius'
face. |
| To the restoration of
Carthage. |
| They are about to drink when a waiter moves
behind Clodius and he somehow falls forward, knocking over both
goblets and almost taking the jug with him if Gaius had not had his
hand on it and whisked it out of the way in time. Much of the wine
ends up down Xena's front. Clodius splutters into an apology and
tries to dab at her with his shirt cuff. Xena erupts from the table
and Clodius falls backwards, before she can advance Agrippa
materialises between the two and blocks her. Gaius too has got up
from the table and looks about to lay into Clodius with his foot but
a glance from Agrippa quells him. |
| Agrippa helps Clodius up collects his stick and
leads him away. Xena is standing there trying to clean herself
up. |
| I'm very sorry. My brother, he's so
clumsy… |
| (trying hard to keep her temper in
check) |
| It's not your fault. If you'll excuse
me. |
| I feel terrible. You didn't even try the
wine. |
| Gaius quickly refills the goblets from the jug
he is still holding, and offers one to Xena. |
| Xena grudgingly takes
it. |
| To the future, may it promise far more than the
present. |
| They both drain their goblets in one swig,
Gaius beaming. |
END OF ACT ONE
ACT TWO
| The next morning, Gabrielle is lying on the bed
still in her clothes from the night before. She is groaning gently.
Xena walks in drying her hair. |
| (whispering, clutching her
head) |
| Could you please dry your hair a little
quieter? It's just that my stomach and my head were causing me equal
amounts of pain before you walked in and it sort of
balanced. |
| (going over to the
window) |
| Fresh air helps, try sticking your head out of
the window. |
| I tried it. The sun was too
loud. |
| (pouring some water in a
goblet) |
| You never listen, do
you? |
| I always listen. It's just that I sometimes
forget moderation when I'm half starved and presented with tables of
hot, creamy … oooh. |
| Gabrielle clutches her
stomach. |
| Can't you do something, like cut my blood
supply off to … everywhere. |
| No. I can give you this,
though. |
| Xena passes over the goblet. |
| What is it? Some secret potion you learnt how
to make in some far distant land by an ancient
priest. |
| It's water. Sip it
slowly. |
| Gabrielle starts to sip
it. |
| You know, I think I'm feeling
better. |
| Gabrielle tries to sit up, gets half way and
then groans and collapses back down. |
| No I'm not, I'm gonna die. Why is it always me who
gets ill? When we go on a boat I'm the one who gets sea sick, when
we have a meal I'm the one who gets food poisoning. |
| Where did you get to last
night? |
| I was cleaning up the mess that royal idiot
made of me. |
| He didn't do it
deliberately. |
| From everything Gaius has told me about
Octavius, how he could be his eldest son is beyond me. A prince
should be strong and capable and care about his
people. |
| Anyway you don't know that Clodius doesn't
care… |
| She is interrupted by knock at the door. Gaius
enters. |
| Good morning, Xena,
Gabrielle. |
| (concerned, to
Gabrielle) |
| Good. I was planning to go hunting
today. |
| Do you think that's wise, I'm sure Hellenicus
could arrange a hunting accident easily
enough. |
| Perhaps it isn't, but I'm not the sort of
person who can stay locked inside for long. I would appreciate your
company. |
| Are you going to be okay,
Gabrielle? |
| Gabrielle moans theatrically from the
bed. |
| EXT. OUTSIDE THE PALACE GATES -
DAY |
| Xena and Gaius go riding off
together. |
| EXT. PALACE - COURTYARD -
DAY |
| Gabrielle finally decides to venture outside.
She takes a turn around the yard which is relatively peaceful, few
are around. She sees Clodius scuttle off towards a small door in the
side of the building. Gabrielle, wanting to reassure him about the
previous night, desirous of company and naturally inquisitive,
decides to follow him. |
| which is in fact little more than a small
storeroom with scrolls on the shelves instead, it has a small table
in the corner under the window. Gabrielle opens the door quietly and
pokes her head round. She slowly enters the room and sees the
scrolls. She picks one up at random and unrolls it. With her
attention fixed on the book she fails to notice Clodius appear from
around the corner right next to her. |
| What are you doing in
here?! |
| Gabrielle is taken by surprise and drops the
scroll she was reading, it wraps itself up as it falls and Clodius'
hand shoots out and catches it perfectly. |
| What are you doing with this? Were you
following me? |
| (ignoring her, unrolling the scroll, he
gasps) |
| (turning back to
Gabrielle) |
| Do you realise that this story was first told
thousands of years ago? And that this copy is older than both of us
combined? It took me years to get hold of it, I'm not going to have
some ham-fisted youth damage it. |
| Well, what have you got to say for yourself?
You haven't said one word of sense since you burst in here and
started destroying my scrolls! |
| (finally regaining her
composure) |
| I didn't mean to do any harm, I just wanted to
talk to you. |
| Talk! And why would you want to t-talk to
me? |
| After last night, I just wanted to make sure
that you knew, Xena wasn't as annoyed as she
looked. |
| Well, thank you, I admit I was a little
c-c-concerned about it. Accidents will
happen. |
| And it appears that they happen more to me than
others. |
| Gabrielle did not hear his response, instead
she is staring wide eyed at the scrolls around the
room. |
| (moving through the
shelves) |
| Reading's a bit of a passion of mine. I don't
get a chance to do it very often. When you travel with Xena you
don't get a chance to join many book clubs. |
| Gabrielle strokes one of the scrolls but then
pulls her hand back and looks questioningly at
Clodius. |
| Yes, just be a bit more
respectful. |
| Gabrielle lifts it gingerly down, and starts to
unroll it. |
| Bring it over to the table, lay it out
properly. |
| Gabrielle takes it over and unrolls it. Clodius
recognises it as soon as she does so. |
| Ah, the Megabarian creation story, the one
where the universe was created from their god's
int-t-testines. |
| EXT. TRACK LEADING UP TO A FARMSTEAD -
DAY |
| Xena and Gaius are riding back to the palace
after a successful hunting expedition, a dead animal is across the
back of Gaius' horse. |
| You are a formidable
hunter. |
| I have had a lot of practice. You're not so bad
yourself. |
| You're very generous, but the truth is that I
spend far too long cooped up, managing things to be able to get out
as often as I like. I used to hunt more when I was younger. It was
so... exhilarating. Sometimes I almost felt like letting the poor
thing go after we'd ran it to ground. The chase was much more
fun. |
| I hunt for food, not
sport. |
| You forget Xena, I saw you just now. You can't
deny that you were excited by it. |
| Life was simpler then. There are always
responsibilities, to my family, to my country, to my people. I'm
afraid my duty to myself often gets buried beneath the
others. |
| You must lead an incredible life. I find it
most tempting. But I could not stand to leave my
countrymen. |
| They trot past the farmstead, it's still
inhabited. Two children are outside but they do not have the
strength to run around. |
| It pains me to see them like this, but I can do
nothing for the country until the situation at court is
resolved. |
| (stopping her horse and looking at the
children) |
| Maybe you can do nothing for your country at
the moment, but you can do something for
them. |
| Gaius looks confused for a moment and then
realises that she's referring to the carcass over his horse. He
directs the horse over to the children who can merely stare up at
him with awe. He dumps the carcass in front of them but they do not
react. |
| Take this, feed your family. When they are
full, give what remains to your neighbours, and then their
neighbours. You will not go hungry today. |
| The children do not react and continue to stare
at him. |
| (hissing under his breath so Xena cannot
hear) |
| Gaius gives up on them and returns to Xena, as
soon as his back is turned the children run into the
house. |
| You see my people are in desperate need of
help. |
| I have heard stories of you, Xena, stories
where you have defended the poor and the weak against their
oppressors. Are they true? |
| I do not know which stories you have heard so I
could not say whether they were true or not. |
| I know that I am neither poor nor weak but I am
the best chance they have for a better tomorrow. Will you help
me? |
| (pretending to give it a moment's
consideration) |
| Some hours later Clodius is reading a book
while Gabrielle is looking through the shelves. She sees a little
pile of scrolls separate from the others. |
| Oh that's just a something I'm working
on. |
| You're writing
something? |
| She picks up the scrolls and transfers them to
the desk. |
| I'm sort of writing something, recording all
the adventures Xena and I have, but it's not exactly like this. To
be honest it's nothing like this, supplies are hard to come by and
Xena… she doesn't exactly appreciate it. |
| That's a shame, too many accounts are written
by people who never knew the people involved, in my writings I try
as much as possible to rely on facts. |
| (looking through the
scrolls) |
| A history. Of C-Carthage. Right from its
founding by Queen Dido. |
| Gabrielle looks through more scrolls, there are
quite a few. |
| It must have taken you years. Where's the end?
Ah, here we are. |
| Gabrielle reads the scroll she has picked out
for a few seconds. |
| It's not finished. Why's there nothing
recent here? |
| I feel I'm… too close to give an objective
judgement. |
| But didn't you just say that people should be
writing about what they live through. |
| (worried, sits down at the
table) |
| The truth is… the truth is I don't know what I
should write. |
| Gabrielle, concerned, puts down the scroll and
moves over next to him. |
| Everything's so awful at the moment, I can
barely think it, much less record it. |
| It's my father, Octavius, he's dying, being
poisoned by that witch wife of his. |
| It's obvious. The entire c-court suspects it.
I'm sure she killed my elder brothers too. And now finally Gaius is
strong enough to inherit and too impatient to wait any longer so
she's finishing off my father. |
| Why hasn't anyone done anything about her? She
can't simply get away with poisoning people. |
| My father was besotted by her, anyone who made
allegations was punished, and there was never any proof. Nothing to
hold against her. She eliminated everyone who stood between Gaius
and the throne, she would have killed me if she didn't think I was
some half-witted joke. |
| How could Gaius be involved with all
this? |
| Him? He's worse than his mother. She's just
ambitious. He's evil. Hellenicus is trying to fight him, but he's
too young, too impetuous, too honourable to
succeed. |
| There must be some mistake. Gaius, isn't like
that. |
| Really? You haven't known him a d-day yet. I've
known him since he was born. Believe what you
like. |
| But he's off with Xena, on their
own. |
| The door bursts open, both Clodius and
Gabrielle jump, but it is Agrippa. He hurries in and whispers into
Clodius ear. Clodius sits back, stunned. |
| Octavius, he's
d-d-d-dead. |
END OF ACT TWO
ACT THREE
| where a crowd has gathered and there is much
discussion. The platform is empty. Xena is standing against one of
the walls, Gabrielle pushes through the crowd to
her. |
| We just got back, Gaius has gone
to… |
| They're just about to read
Octavius' final testament. Can't it wait? |
| Before Xena can reply Gaius and Livia appear on
the platform. Gaius holds aloft the testament, with its seal
unbroken and visible to all. The crowd are
hushed. |
| My friends, a tragedy has occurred on this
unhappy day. The greatest of us, he who was King Octavius, has
departed this place and crossed the Styx to his eternal reward on
the Isle of the Blessed. It is my duty, my honour and my sorrow to
read to you this day his final wishes. |
| Gaius breaks the seal and unrolls the
parchment. |
| I, Octavius, King of Carthage, do solemnly
testify on my immortal spirit to the truth of these, my final words.
I thank all of you who have supported me during my long rule, there
can be no compensation I can award for such loyalty that would equal
the benefit. To my wife, Livia, who has been my strength for so many
years, now twice widowed, I grant a pension, so that she may live
out her remaining days in material comfort. All my other moneys, my
titles, land, property and the sovereignty over Carthage, I bestow
on her son, Prince Gaius. |
| At this there is uproar as half the crowd
cheers wildly and the other half shout
abuse. |
| (shouting to make himself
heard) |
| Hereafter to be known as King Gaius, who is our
greatest hope for future peace and
prosperity. |
| Gaius stops reading and basks in the mixed
acclamation of the crowd, until Livia steps forward and takes his
hand and presents herself to the crowd as his equal. The smile
vanishes from his face and he casts a murderous sidelong glance at
her for stealing his limelight. The guards come out and clear a
tunnel through the crowd as Gaius and Livia descend from the
platform and walk out. Gaius makes his way over to Xena, and he
reaches out and grabs her shoulder. |
| There is something we must take care of, come
outside. |
| Gaius pulls Xena through the wall of guards but
Gabrielle cannot follow and is left behind. |
| EXT. PALACE - COURTYARD -
NIGHT |
| the noise of the hall can still be heard behind
them but Gaius can Xena can talk normally. In the courtyard waiting
is Argo. |
| Did you see Hellenicus
there? |
| It's just as I feared. No one has seen him all
day. I've had reports that he plans to go to our nearest army camp
and gather support. The situation is desperate, by tomorrow it could
become a civil war. It would be terrible. |
| That can't be allowed to
happen. |
| Exactly, I'm going to meet him, talk to him,
try to persuade him from this madness and work out a compromise.
There's just one problem. I don't know where he is. I've heard that
he's stopped for the night in the woods a dozen miles west of here,
but I can't go and confirm it myself, I'm needed here tonight, he
has considerable support still among the courtiers. I can't send my
troops because he might see it as an attack. |
| I only want you to find where he is so I can go
straight there tomorrow morning before he has a chance to flee
further. If there is anyone in this kingdom who can do it, it's you.
Will you? |
| You have no idea how much this means to me. I
am eternally in your debt. |
| Don't worry, if he's there I'll find
him. |
| Xena gallops off. Livia approaches
Gaius. |
| She couldn't stay here tonight could
she? |
| If you're that unsure about her then why didn't
you just kill her? I don't know why you brought her here in the
first place. |
| I was alone out there. I needed an escort. Or
would you have preferred it if my head had returned separate from my
body? Anyway, if she sees things our way she could be a powerful
weapon. |
| The pertinent word being
'if'. |
| Don't worry, I've taken steps to ensure her
loyalty. |
| Just so long as you don't jeopardise everything
I've been working towards for some adolescent
crush. |
| Mother, now you know I could never love anyone
but you. |
| What about her friend, the scrawny blonde
one? |
| She'll be locked in her room. Don't worry, she
won't see anything and anything she hears can easily be explained
away. |
| Just make you don't make a mess of things like last time. |
| Xena arrives at the
wood. |
| It is dark inside, light floods into the room
when a guard kicks the door open. |
| The door is kicked open and guards rush
in. |
| Xena is searching through them for Hellenicus'
camp. |
| Courtiers slowly start rising from their beds,
the guards grab them and drag them towards the door. They start
screaming. |
| Xena has dismounted and is searching on foot
but nothing stirs. |
| The door is kicked down and guards rush in.
There appears to be a figure in the bed buried under sheets, a guard
rips them off but it is only a collection of pillows. The camera
PANS around to the corner hidden behind the door where, unseen by
the guards, a panel in the ceiling is slowly being slotted back into
place. |
| Guards are dragging the courtiers out of the
door. One of them manages to break loose and takes a swing at the
nearest guard. He connects but another guard draws his sword and
plunges it into him. His shriek of pain is lost in the screams of
others. |
| Xena is crouches down on a track and examines
the surface. There are no hoof prints that would suggest that a
mounted party came this way. She looks up and stares into the
distance, thinking, and then swiftly turns her head back in the
direction of the palace. |
| INT. PALACE - CORRIDOR
OUTSIDE |
| Courtiers, in their night-clothes, are being
dragged from the surrounding rooms and down the
corridor. |
| The screaming from the corridor can be easily
heard inside. Gabrielle is desperately pushing at the door to try
and escape but it has been locked. She hears a bang on the ceiling
above her and then a scuffling which makes its way across the room.
She grabs her staff and follows it along until it stops. She sees a
panel being gently lifted out of the ceiling. She stabs up into the
hole with her staff and is rewarded with a cry of
pain. |
| W-w-what in Hades did you do that
for? |
| Clodius' head appears at the hole, he is
rubbing where the staff hit. |
| (seeing where she hit
him) |
| It's all right. I'm used to
it. |
| (hearing the screams
outside) |
| I d-d-don't know. The guards are grabbing
people from their beds. Is it safe outside your
room? |
| The door's locked, I can't get
out. |
| Then they might be coming for you too. You'd
better get up here. |
| Gabrielle can't jump up that high so she looks
around the room for something to stand on. She sees the bed and
drags it over so that it is beneath the hole, stands on it and hauls
herself up. |
| INT. PALACE - CRAWL
SPACE |
| is only a few feet high so Gabrielle and
Clodius have to move on hands and knees. When Gabrielle hauls
herself up she upsets a lot of dust and both she and Clodius
sneeze. |
| (taking stock of her
surroundings) |
| Clodius replaces the panel behind
her. |
| When the palace was built, these passages were
put in between all the floors. G-gods know why. No one knows about
them any more. |
| How did you find out about
them? |
| I found the original plans in my library. They
run all through the building. |
| So we can get out of the
palace? |
| I'm afraid not. I've been exploring them for
years and I've n-never found one that leads to the outside. Anyway,
I need to find out what's happening, and I think I know where to
go. |
| INT. PALACE - CORRIDOR OFF THE GREAT
HALL |
| Gaius and Livia are talking in the room.
Clodius and Gabrielle arrive at a place where they can see what's
going on. |
| This obsession with that barbarian woman of
yours is going too far. I don't care what you say, she is not going
to stay here, we don't need her. When she returns kill
her. |
| She could be useful, she is well known, even
the hint that she supports me will be enough for people to think
again before challenging me. |
| She does not need to be alive for rumours to
spread. I have heard disturbing reports about her. If she becomes
aware of what we've been doing she may turn against
us. |
| What if she does? She is but one
woman. |
| And so am I! Do you think Octavius' other sons
dropped dead by themselves, or that Octavius himself just
conveniently passed away? You would be no where today if it had not
been for this one woman and any person who underestimates me is
gravely mistaken. No, it is settled, you will kill her when she
returns or I will do it for you. |
| (standing up and leaving the
room) |
| Come, it is time to address your
subjects. |
| Livia offers him her hand, he grudgingly takes
it and she leads him out. |
| INT. PALACE - CRAWL
SPACE |
| from which Gabrielle and Clodius had been
watching. They see Livia leading Gaius out of the room and they
shuffle along until they get to the next
room. |
| A dozen or so courtiers have been brought in
and have been herded into a group and surrounded by guards, all of
whom have their weapons drawn. The courtiers are terrified, but
their voices fall silent when Gaius appears on the platform, Livia
appears behind him. |
| Greetings to you all. You have probably guessed
why you are here. You will, no doubt, have noticed that you have
been specially chosen. All of you have opposed me at one time or
another. You have all thrown in your lot with my enemies in the
hopes that I will be defeated. I can tell you now, you were wrong.
But you need not suffer for your mistake. The kingdom is sick, it is
divided, our people are suffering now because of our own failure to
work together. It is we who are to blame not them. Now I am King are
rivalries must be forgotten, our factions dissolved. Until we are
united under one person our country will never recover. I am that
person and you must all swear allegiance to me or face the
consequences. |
| There is a pause, no one
speaks. |
| Very well. Your leader will be the first of you
to make his decision. Then you will realise the path to
follow. |
| He someone over and two guards bring on the
struggling Hellenicus. He is dumped before Gaius and he picks
himself up. |
| You will be the first,
Hellenicus. |
| One of the guards slides Hellenicus a dagger,
he picks it up and holds it by the handle. |
| Forget your pride, forget your ambition. Hand
me your blade and pledge your loyalty to me. Spare the land the
destruction of a civil war. |
| Do it for those who trusted in
you. |
| Hellenicus holds the dagger in front of him and
turns it around in his hands so that the handle is pointing towards
Gaius. He gazes around the room, at the courtiers, the guards
surrounding them and finally back to Gaius. |
| I was wrong, I was so wrong. I thought I knew
how to play this game. And now... |
| Years of effort, building up support, forging
alliances, making people see what you really are. And failing, my
father, my brother. |
| While I was winning points you were rewriting
the rules. Now flattery replaces respect, cunning for bravery. The
knife in the back and the poisoner's touch instead of an open
challenge. |
| You talk of civil war, Hellenicus, of the
deaths of hundreds for no greater prize. |
| So, now the most ruthless of us is victorious
and that's you, Gaius, and you are welcome to the
title. |
| As you have shown yourself unworthy to
it. |
| But what of your followers, Hellenicus? Are you
going to compound your irresponsibility by dragging them down with
you? |
| Even now my people still trust me. I do not
need to instill them with fear to ensure their loyalty. And it would
sully their trust to make them bow their head to an animal like
you. |
| But, as I said, you won. You have a knife at
our throats. I have no choice. To save their lives, Gaius, they are
yours. But, my brother, you shall never have
me. |
| His hands grip the handle tightly and plunge it
into his own breast. As he dies a broad smile spreads across his
face as he notes the anger on Gaius' face. There is uproar among the
crowd. Gaius is absolutely incandescent with
anger. |
| (shaking with fury,
quietly) |
| Kill them! Kill them
all! |
| The guards advance on the crowd and the
screaming starts. CLOSE UP of Gabrielle, eyes and mouth wide open in
silent terror at the horror of the sight in front of
her. |
END OF ACT THREE
ACT FOUR
| EXT. PALACE - COURTYARD -
DAY |
| Xena is just dismounting her horse after an
unsuccessful night. She is met by Gaius who is holding two goblets
of wine. |
| I didn't find him, Gaius, as far as I could
tell no one has been there for days. |
| That is unfortunate, especially as some of
Hellenicus' supporters attempted an attack last night. Fortunately
they did not succeed and the situation at court has…
stabilised. |
| You must be tired and thirsty, here have some
wine. |
| Gaius offers her one of the goblets. CLOSE UP
of the goblet as he hands it to her. She drinks it in one swig and
he does the same with his and smiles. |
| INT. PALACE - CORRIDOR OUTSIDE GUEST
ROOM |
| Xena walks along and tries to get into her
room. She has some difficulty opening the door but it is not locked.
She gives one big push and manages to get part way into the
room. |
| As she looks round the door she sees why it was
so difficult to get in. All the furniture in the room except the
chest has been stacked against the door. She gives another shove and
manages to get inside. |
| Xena picks her way through the furniture and
goes over to the chest and opens it. Gabrielle is sitting at the
bottom curled up into a ball, shaking with
fear. |
| It takes Gabrielle a second to even realise
that the door has been opened. When she does she looks up and sees
Xena and jumps into her arms, frightened out of her
wits. |
| Of course I'm alive. What were you doing in the
chest? |
| I didn't know how else to find you. I didn't
know where else to go… |
| Gabrielle breaks down in tears. Xena holds her
close. |
| Gaius is there conferring with one of the
guard. Xena marches in, face like stone, Gabrielle following behind
her, trying to compose herself. |
| What happened here while I was
gone? |
| You slaughtered half the
palace! |
| (taken aback by this frank
admission) |
| Division cannot be allowed, whatever the cost
to the court, as we agreed. |
| I never agreed to a
massacre. |
| I thought you wouldn't be pleased which is why
I didn't tell you. |
| We are a rare breed, you and I, Xena. There are
few of us who care, who really care, about the plight of their
fellow man. You and I are supremely dedicated individuals, but you
have one flaw. You think too small. You think that if I go around
helping enough individuals eventually you'll make the world a better
place. You're wrong. With this one stroke I have made Carthage at
peace with itself, I have aided the entire country and helped the
people to help themselves. |
| If only you could
understand. |
| I don't think I understand anything about you.
How dare you say that we are the same? |
| That is a great shame. But not wholly
unexpected. It is a sign of the times that I cannot help but examine
potential allies for flaws and I am seldom
disappointed. |
| Xena suddenly sways and staggers a little,
losing her balance. |
| That's why I poisoned
you. |
| Xena sways even more dangerously, Gabrielle
moves to help her but guards appear and restrain
her. |
| You can feel it, can't you? Your famous
strength draining from your body. It was supposed to take effect
several minutes ago, but you must have a formidable
constitution. |
| Growling with anger Xena draws her sword, it
takes more effort than usually. She holds it out at Gaius with two
hands, still swaying, but she has trouble keeping the point up. She
goes down onto her knees to stop the sword slipping but she can't
hold it. |
| (snarling with
frustration) |
| The sword slips out of her grasp and falls on
the floor. |
| It's quite an interesting poison actually. It's
delivered in two parts. The first is harmless, on its own, I
introduced it to you at the banquet to ensure your loyalty if
necessary. But the second, when combined with the first, immobilises
the subject and that you drank just when you
returned. |
| (seeing that she's still trying to lift her
sword) |
| You are better off just giving in, it'll be
easier on both of us. |
| With one last burst of strength she grabs her
Chakram and hurls it at Gaius. Unfortunately in her weakened
condition it flies only about three feet and rolls to rest at Gaius'
feet. Xena, seeing her failure, falls flat on her
face. |
| As they bundle Gabrielle off Gaius crouches
down over Xena and picks up the Chakram. |
| You're a formidable woman, Xena, a lot like my
mother. |
| She won't beat me
either. |
| Clodius sits at the table, not cowering, but
thinking. A shadow falls across him, he jerks his head around. It is
Agrippa. |
| We must escape to the nearest army camp, gather
Hellenicus' troops... |
| I'm not like you were Agrippa, I'm no
general. |
| Then I'll get the guard loyal to me, and we can
bring him down in an instant. |
| And they will kill the
King? |
| In our eyes, old friend, but not their's. The
crown is etched into the soul of Carthage. All it would take is a
moment's hesitation and we would be lost. No, the warrior woman is
our answer. |
| Her? She treats you with the basest contempt
simply because of your... How can you
consider...? |
| (taken aback,
submissively) |
| I've never thanked you, have I? For all you've
done for me. |
| There's no need. I promised your mother a long
time ago that I would look after all her sons. I failed with your
brothers. They have no reason to thank me, and neither do
you. |
| There is a small table laid out for dinner on
the platform. Livia and Gaius are sitting there having just consumed
the meal. Aside from them the room is deserted. Both are enjoying a
pleasant conversation. |
| I still don't know why you kept her alive, but
you were right, she can do no harm at the
moment. |
| She'll die of it or pull through eventually,
you know. |
| I'll have found a use for her by
them. |
| You see I'm not the child you needs to be
handheld anymore. I have the throne, I have the palace and only one
thing impedes my acquisition of total power. |
| Livia laughs, thinking he made a joke, but his
face remains straight. She stops laughing and glances down at the
meal she's just eaten and then back up at him. He raises his
eyebrows as if in confirmation. |
| Of course you wouldn't, I've taught you
everything you know about the art of the poisoner and kept a few
tricks up my sleeve. |
| I would never be so foolish as to try and beat
you at your own game. But I've think I've found something that even
your impressive knowledge of antidotes will be useless
against. |
| (confident, her intellectual curiosity
piqued) |
| Gaius whips the Chakram from beneath the table
and holds it up to the light. |
| A look of shock, amazement and fear crosses
Livia's face. |
END OF ACT FOUR
ACT FIVE
| INT. PALACE - PRISON
CELL |
| Xena is propped next to the door, unable to
move any more than the smallest amount. Gabrielle is trying to lever
a bit of the lock open with a piece of
metal. |
| Any ideas of what we're going to do when we get
this door open? |
| I hope Drusus is still okay. Maybe he could
find us a way out. |
| Him? He'd be lucky if he could find the way out
of his own bedroom. |
| Why did you say that? You don't know the first
thing about him do you? |
| Just because he doesn't match up to what you
think a prince should be like. Because he doesn't stand tall and
doesn't swing a sword and doesn't have biceps as thick as my waist,
you think he's the runt of the litter. |
| I suppose I shouldn't blame you. Everyone we
meet seems to be six foot and built like a demi-god. If you'd
actually taken a second to listen to what he was saying instead of
how he was saying it you might have actually learned something. But
you were too busy with your Prince Charming. Drusus is the only
half-decent person I've met since I arrived. |
| Gabrielle simmers down. She sits and lies in
the crook of Xena's arm |
| I'm sorry. It's just that people can be so…
unfair and blind and cruel without even knowing it. I
just… |
| No, you're right. But I don't hate him, I'm
scared of him. Throughout my entire life, even when I've had nothing
else, I've had myself, the strength of my body. To lose it..., to be
like him... |
| You're not like that though. Gods, you accepted
me didn't you? |
| Well, Drusus didn't exactly make the best first
impression, did he? |
| Gabrielle realises
something. |
| Xena realises it too. Forgetting herself she
tries to get up and growls when she remembers her
situation. |
| (frustration overwhelming
her) |
| I hate this place. Out there if someone wants
you dead they come at you with a sword, or hire others to do it for
them, but at least when you catch your own dinner you can trust the
food. I failed, you, the people, myself. I've been so
blind. |
| He fooled us both. I was there, you couldn't
have known. |
| I'm sorry I wasn't here last
night. |
| Gabrielle puts her arm around her to comfort
her. |
| It doesn't matter, everything's okay
now. |
| Okay? We're trapped in a cell. There's no way
out and even if there were I can't move. That's an odd definition of
okay. |
| Xena, when I first met you I thought you could
find your way out of anything, no matter what the odds. Later...
when I got to know you better... I figured you were like the rest of
us, that you weren't immortal or infallible. Then I realised that
there really get out of anything... and, well, mortality really
isn't your scene. |
| Xena laughs, releasing the pent up
tension. |
| Think about it. How many times has we stared
Death in the face since we met? |
| Literally or
figuratively? |
| More than a few, trust me. And how many times
have you died since I met you? |
| There you go. It's almost impossible,
statistically speaking, for us to die. |
| You know something? You're
mad. |
| Told you. There's only one person I know who
'pssst'es like that. |
| Gabrielle stands up to the window and sees
Clodius on the other side. |
| We won't be able to get her out of
here. |
| There is something to counteract it. Gaius
keeps it in his room. He always has the antidotes close by in case
he has to take some himself to allay
suspicions. |
| He holds up a vial of
liquid. |
| He passes the vial through the bars of the cell
door. Gabrielle takes it and crouches down to give it to
Xena. |
| Told you it was
impossible. |
| As before, Gaius is crouching over the out of
shot body of Livia, holding the blood soaked Chakram in his
hand. |
| The Queen Mother, while eating, was chanced
upon by two escaping barbarian prisoners who cowardly murdered her
without hesitation. Heroically she managed to sound the alarm and
the escapees were caught and killed. Greatly loved by her people she
will be missed most of all by her one surviving son. Goodbye mother.
At least you die happy, knowing that your child has become all that
you wished him to be. |
| Xena and Gabrielle are being dragged along by
guards towards the great hall. Gabrielle looks questioningly at Xena
who shakes her head. |
| Xena and Gabrielle are brought in and held in
front of Gaius, a guard either side of Xena holding her up. In the
background we can see the dinner table and Livia's legs protruding
from behind. Gaius waits expectantly for a moment and then
says: |
| What? No vitriolic attack? No eternal curse
that would no doubt haunt me to my grave. No? Ah well, you were
being so frank earlier, never mind. |
| It seems you've been a naughty girl. You killed
my mother! How dare you? Fortunately my guards are here to make sure
you do not escape. |
| Gaius slots the Chakram into Xena's right hand
where it hangs loosely. |
| I always pride myself on the small details.
Still nothing to say? Very well. Guards! |
| You've found your tongue at last. I hope you've
put a lot of thought into it. You never get a second chance to make
a last impression. |
| Ever since I met you, in all the conversations
we've had, I've always wanted to know one thing about
you. |
| Xena's hand grips the
Chakram. |
| (leaning closer,
intrigued) |
| Xena's knee buries itself in Gaius' groin, he
squeals with pain and doubles over. Xena's eyebrows shoot up in mock
surprise. |
| Her hands move as a blur, the right despatching
the guard to her left with the Chakram and then the one to the
right, while her left hand draws the right guard's sword. Gabrielle
also breaks loose and while Gaius hobbles towards the main exit the
two of them swiftly overwhelm the surprised guards. As Gaius gets to
the exit he bumps into more guards and he sighs in relief. The
camera PANS up with his eyes as he looks at the guard's face. It is
Agrippa. Gaius recoils but with Xena and Gabrielle behind him there
is no where to run. The guards that came in with Agrippa draw their
swords as one and surround Gaius. |
| Agrippa, you traitor! How dare you defy your
king? |
| I was following the orders of the true king,
the rightful successor of his highness
Octavius. |
| Hellenicus is dead, who else could there
be? |
| (obscured by the
shadows) |
| Clodius? You must be
joking. |
| Clodius steps into the light, bent over, with
his stick. |
| My name is Drusus. And no, he's
not. |
| So what are you going to do now? Kill me? You
don't have the guts. No matter what you say, I'm still the King. You
all know the law, regicides are the most damned of
all. |
| Any Carthaginian who kills his king will suffer
a slow death, the execution of his immediate family and an eternity
of torment in Tartarus. |
| Only one man in this room has the courage to
kill his king, and that's me. That's why I'm in charge and you are
all traitors. |
| Xena gestures to the guards and they back away,
forming a large circle around Gaius. |
| Wait a minute, you're still not fully recovered
from the paralysis, you can't… |
| Xena silences her with a
look. |
| Agrippa slides his sword over to Gaius, he
looks at it with confusion. |
| I am a warrior, not an
executioner. |
| You're giving me a
chance? |
| You have no chance at
all. |
| Gaius picks up the sword and they begin to
fight. Xena is the superior swordsman but she is still weak from the
poison and fighting the guards, Gaius has the strength of
desperation but it clouds his judgement. He takes several hits which
leads to him backing off reaching for a pouch, the next time Xena is
beated back he smears some liquid on the blade from the pouch. All
instantly recognise it as poison nevertheless Xena continues to
fight. Taking extra special care to avoid the blade she finally
manages to floor him and reverses his blade, it becomes a test of
strength as Xena pushes his own blade onto him while he desperately
tries to twist the blade away. A spot of poison collects on the
point of the blade and drops onto his neck. Xena wins, the merest
scratch is made on his skin but Gaius panics and we see a glimpse of
pure terror on his face as his muscles start to convulse and he dies
in agony. |
| A few minutes later, the guards are dragging
the bodies of Gaius and his guards away. Clodius is standing,
looking into space. Agrippa, Xena and Gabrielle are close
by. |
| Congratulations King Drusus on your accession
to the throne. |
| Of course, your majesty. Who
else? |
| So that is how it works, is it? Gaius
slaughters dozens and seizes power. Then I kill him and take his
place. Here I stand, all my family and most of the court dead around
me. Oh, I see the price now, it is too high. I don't want to pay it,
nothing can be worth this. |
| Your majesty? What are you
saying? |
| I don't want to be king, I can't be king. How
long do you think it will be until someone comes for me? I'll be an
easy target, lame, half-witted, can't fight. A few weeks you'll
probably be ready to do me in yourself. |
| Of course, you wouldn't, but there are plenty
who would. No, I've decided, my first royal decree will be my
abdication. Find someone else for the job. |
| There is no one else. You are the only survivor
of your family. |
| Oh yes, I survived. I'll tell you how I
survived. By bumping into things, by hiding in walls, by playing the
fool and listening to others making fun of me. That runt,
Cl-cl-cl-clodius, don't know how such a father could have such a
son. People are like you, Xena, intolerant, blinkered, respecting
only strength, stature and wisdom. I don't have the first two and
when I open my mouth people go running for
cover. |
| Drusus. Do you love your
country? |
| What sort of a question is
that? |
| Do you love your
country? |
| Would you sacrifice your life for
it? |
| Then why are you running? You can find all the
excuses you want but you are still the only one who can pull your
nation back together. If you step down then there will be anarchy
and it will be your people who will suffer the
most. |
| You don't understand. How can I represent them
like this, how can I earn their trust and their respect when they
don't see me at all but all this. |
| (he indicates his
deformities) |
| How can I be king, when everyone stares at me
but they don't see me at all? |
| Gabrielle approaches him and takes hold of his
arm. |
| Look at me, when I travel with Xena, when I
carry my staff, half the people we meet think I'm her servant or
that I carry her equipment or something. All they see is her. I used
to get mad as hell about it, I felt as though I wasn't important,
that people ignored me. Then I realised that just as Xena used her
appearance to her advantage I could do the same. Now when people see
a tiny blonde girl with a stick, I let them ignore me, and when they
wake up with a bump on the back of their head the size of an apple,
they don't know what hit 'em. You've been hiding behind Clodius,
it's time to let him go. You don't have to be ignored if you don't
want to be. |
| It's not the same, you can change your clothes,
carry a sword if you want. |
| You can carry a sword too,
inside. |
| You might not be the strongest or the quickest,
but you are wise, and you are courageous and, most importantly, you
care for your people. Everything else isn't as important as
that. |
| Clodius gazes at them for a short time and then
gives a dry laugh. |
| Almost everyone in my family wanted to become
king, and the one person who didn't want it has it handed to him on
a plate. |
| I think perhaps, that is a good
thing. |
END OF ACT FIVE
TAG
| EXT. ROAD LEADING FROM THE PALACE -
DAY |
| Xena and Gabrielle are riding slowly away from
the palace. |
| But so many people know about it already, he
can't just hush it up. |
| People forget, the truth is lost. In a couple
of generations the only thing that will be remembered is the
official version, that Livia killed herself grief stricken over
Octavius' death and that Gaius did the same over
Livia. |
| But why conceal it? What's wrong with everybody
knowing the truth. |
| That Drusus needed two foreigners to seize the
throne is a slight against his own ability and because he is king it
is also a slight against the country. |
| That's how politics works. Appearances are the
only thing that are important, everyone conceals their true
selves. |
| I don't think I like
politics. |
| Nor do I. This is all I need, the open road, a
good steed… |
| Xena makes no reply but instead stares into the distance. Gabrielle's cheerful demeanour drops and she whirls to look at her. |
| Xena? ... Xena! ... Fine. I never liked you anyway. |
THE END |
